`Joe' rejects wonder about their reputations

First they were dumped by "Joe Millionaire." Now the spurned women of Fox's red-hot reality show are worrying about how they'll shake their image as moneygrubbers.

"I'm concerned about what people think of me," said contestant Dana, 26, a secretary from Los Angeles who, like the others interviewed for this story, refused to give her last name. "I'm still single, and I think the gold-digger label will be hard to shake."

Dana was one of 20 women who flew to France last fall believing they were going to meet a multimillionaire bachelor. It wasn't until weeks after the show was taped that the women found out the man, Evan Marriott, was a construction worker.

"It worried me, after I found out about the premise of the show, whether I'd ever get a date again," said Amanda, a 28-year-old flight attendant from Arizona. "I hope nobody takes the show that seriously."

Gretchen, a 29-year-old senior account manager from Santa Monica, Calif., who was cut in the first episode, took the lie in stride.

"I assumed there'd be a twist to the show, and I think it's hysterical," she said. "But I'm not the one who ended up last with all eyes on her. After I saw the second episode, I was glad I got out early."

Over the weekend Fox executives defended the ploy, saying it's all part of being on a reality show.

"I think that when people get involved in these unscripted shows these days, they know they're in for a ride," Gail Berman, Fox's entertainment president, said.

"I assumed there'd be a twist to the show, and I think it's hysterical," she said. "But I'm not the one who ended up last with all eyes on her. After I saw the second episode, I was glad I got out early."

As we have said from before the show even started, the lucky ones were the ones who got cut on the first night.

I don't think Dana personally has a lot to worry about as anyone watching the show could see that she did seem to genuinely like Evan.

I think this could be a problem for the ladies in their real lives.
Normally how you behave on the show would dictate whether there is any fall out in your real life. I think the very fact that you took part in this show could have a negative impact on you and how people see you.
I guess that remains to be seen once the show is over.

First, if they want to shake the reputation they may have created for themselves, all they have to do is go out with guys that aren't loaded.

Second, from reading some of the posts on this board, it has come to my attention that there are some guys out there with vast quantities of cash that don't care if a woman is after their money. As long as they can have a trophy on their arm, they're happy to spend away. If any of the JM rejects really are gold-diggers, their appearance on the show may have actually exposed them to a larger pool of such men than they would have been able to meet otherwise. Some of these guys are probably connected or powerful enough to get some of the phone numbers from FOX.

i bet after 3 months, no one would reconize any of them for what show they were on, unless someone is there to tell them.

especially the first two show booties. A lot of people may think they know them but not from where. I did that witha famous football player while walking down the street in Hawaii. I knew him from somewhere and couldn't remember where, and he knew I knew him and just smiled to hisself cause he knew i couldn't remember why I knew him......

Hope you are tall Bill !
Why weren't these girls worried about their reputations before they went on the show?As for dates even Psycho Christi from Bachelor said that tons of guys were asking her out. There is no way Dana was anywhere near that one.